| rev:text
| - Big "$5.99 CAR WASH" banner with lots of small print at curbside should have been warning enough, but after driving nearly 400 miles to see some Spring Training baseball last weekend, my truck was covered in bugs, and I didn't think the cheap wash would get it anywhere near clean, so I pull in (after driving by about six "do it yourself" places).
Greeted by a slick salesman, wearing a company polo shirt. He's got the ticket in hand, and I select the $21.99 wash (figuring that paying for the upgraded wash will warrant the extra time my bug-covered truck would require). He asks if I want a wax, and I explain that I don't have time. He asks how much time I've got, and I tell him that we're headed to a game, and that I only have time for the wash. He exclaims that a wax would only take 25 minutes, total, which I quickly dismiss as fiction and explain that I just want whatever comes with the $21.99 wash. He then shifts to a choice of leather treatment for the interior, explaining that I've got a choice of Armor All, or some other cleaner. I say "dealer's choice", hoping to expedite the process, but he continues the inquisition, this time talking up some wheel-related upgrade. At this point, I exit the vehicle, explain for the the fourth time that I just want the $21.99 service, and request my ticket.
Lo and behold, my path is immediately intercepted by the auto glass repair dude, who wants to fix a chip he's identified in my windshield (how he could identify anything though all the bug guts is beyond me!) A simple no is not enough with this guy either, so he follows me for a few steps, extolling the virtues of his services before I disappear into the office to pay for my wash.
I assume (wrongly) that I'm out of the high-pressure zone, when the cashier explains that "today's wash could be free" if I just purchase a handful of future washes. At this point, I'm speechless, and just hand her my money while smiling and slowly shaking my head "no".
Sad, methinks, because these guys do pretty good work. They are only the second car wash I've ever been to that uses air hoses to flush water out of all the seams of your car body and windows (preventing streaking, which, with my black truck, negates the value of a wash almost every time.)
Note to ownership/management: Tap the brakes on the hard sell. Restructure the bonus program, and/or eliminate the commission piece. Partner with some of the high school groups that were promoting their own car washes all over the area this weekend, and give them a percentage of your take. Worst case, you'll build some goodwill with a group of future drivers (high school students). Best case, you'll also turn on a whole new group of customers to your quality washes. Judging by lack of business you were doing when I was there (Saturday morning = key business hours), you don't have much to lose!
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